How to best deploy daq runtime and support updates and bug fixes

[shimh]

If we have developed a DAQ app, ie. the .ctl file, how to best deploy daq runtime with the .ctl file in other computers? Possbile automated process, such as an installation program?

And afte those apps have been running in some different places and we come up with updates of the .ctl file, as well as DAQ update itselft, what is the best way to populate these updates (likely, the updated DAQ runtime + the updated .ctl which is developed under the updated DAQ development edition) to those computers? Thanks.

[AzeoTech]

You need to do three things:

1) install DAQFactory using its installer

2) copy over your .ctl document

3) create a shortcut that starts DAQFactory and loads the document (as described in the help under Other Features->Runtime

You should be able to create an installer that does these three things, but you'd still want to use DF's installer for step 1.

To make updates to just the .ctl, just copy over the existing, quit and restart DAQFactory to reload it. Of course if you had a hardware key and were going onsite, you could put the hardware key in with your development license, switch from runtime to development, make and save your changes and then pull the key to revert to runtime, all without ever stopping your process.

If you are updating both DAQFactory and the .ctl, just rerun the DF installer for DAQFactory, installing over top of the existing installation. There is no reason to uninstall first.

[shimh]

So this is the scenario:

1. Users grab the trial version from the webstite and install it without hardware key

2. Put the ctl file in and create a shortcut

3. Run the shortcut

Does this deployment work?

[AzeoTech]

Yes, or you can ship them the trial yourself, or create an installer that does 1 + 2 together. Also, you can pre-create the shortcut and ship it to them as well if they install DAQFactory in its default c:\DAQFactory directory.

Note that this assumes you are using DAQFactory Developer. If you are using a different version of DAQFactory, you'd need to license the computer for Runtime, which is another step.

[aceav8or]

How does this process work with the OEM version? Would it be easier to include everything installed on a flashdrive and have it run from there? How are updated to DAQFactory handled with the OEM?

[AzeoTech]

OEM and Developer are the same with one exception which is protected by NDA so can't be discussed here (if you have OEM you should be contacting us directly about this as you have signed an NDA with us). But otherwise everything is the same. Updating works just like DAQFactory, just update your installer (if you are using one) with the latest DAQFactory, and have your customer run it. Updating DAQFactory typically is as simple as overwriting the DAQFactory.exe executable with the newer one. Sometimes there are ancillary files, but again, simply overwriting the old with the new does the update.

[Technidyne]

I have a runtime application working (.ctl file), I plug-in my hardware key, but it does not switch from runtime to developer. What's up with that?

[AzeoTech]

It doesn't do it automatically. You have to go to the runtime menu (the top left corner) and select Switch to Runtime. If you are in full screen mode, you can hit Alt-Space to open that menu (a standard Windows shortcut).